Easements held by the DRLT.....

The DRLT currently holds and monitors conservation easements (restrictions) on five different parcels totaling 115.86 acres. Four of these easements are located in Dunstable and one is located in the Town of Dracut.

These five properties are subject to conservation restrictions are as follows:

Paul Staples Easement

This easement, executed on December 30, 1991, encompasses 10.06 acres located on Pond Street, Dunstable. This restriction was given for the purposes of the protection of the natural habitats, including a beaver pond and a great blue heron rookery. This easement was a part of a much larger package that included property in Dunstable (Farnsworth/Fitch property) and Tyngsborough. This easement enhanced the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife effort to acquire neighboring properties.

David F. and Permelia S. Sears Easement

This easement, executed on December 30, 2009, encompasses 15 acres on High Street, Dunstable is referred to as the "Sears Woods" parcel. The primary purpose of this easement is to prevent any use of the premise that significantly impairs or interferes with the scenic, woodland, and conservation values of the property. The property, entirely surrounded by stone walls, has been referred to for generations as "The Punkin Yard." Punkin Yard is bounded by High, Thorndike, Forest and Main Streets. The name came from the fields of pumpkins grown there in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The property included under this easement as well as that included under the Hardman easement above, abut the "McGovern Home Farm" (one of only two remaining active dairy and cattle farms in Dunstable).

James C. Stoddard Easement

This easement, executed on June 5, 2006 encompasses 32.01 acres is located on Main and Fletcher Streets in Dunstable. The property covered by this easement is a wooded white pine forest surrounded by a large vegetated wetland bordering Joint Grass Brook and tributary intermittent streams. The property adjoins a five-lot subdivision on Main Street, and is also part of another 99 acre parcel with the same qualities. This property, like many others within the Town of Dunstable, contains several beaver dams.

Dracut Conservation Restriction

The Dracut (Massachusetts) Conservation Restriction, executed on September 10, 2003, encompasses 44.46 acres on Marsh Hill Road abutting a golf course. The property is required to be maintained as open space and allows the public to utilize the land for passive conservation and recreation purposes, such as hiking, walking or use of nature trails.

Attorney James Hall, representing the Town of Dracut, was instrumental in the development of this conservation restriction and person responsible for the Dunstable Rural Land Trust becoming the holder of this easement. Mr. Hall was well acquainted with the DRLT and its past successes and was confident in its ability to monitor and enforce the conservation restrictions.

David R. Hardman EasementThis easement, executed on December 28, 2009, consists of 14.33 acres located on Main Street, Dunstable. The property has for many years and continues to be operated as a "Cut Your Own Christmas Tree Farm." Preservation of this property enhances the protection of a very picturesque pond located on the premises. A small brook running through this property, often blocked by beaver dams, runs into Salmon Brook referred to above under the Flat Rock Hill Quarry parcels.